Bull Point Hike (7/3) Preview

This week we head through Inverness to hike on the ocean side of the Point Reyes National Seashore. Here's Wendy's description for this hike: "A beautiful but soggy (in places) walk timed to see the Coast Lilly blooming in its only site in Marin!

Other endangered flowers we've seen other years incldued the Swamp Harebell, Large Flowered Lianthus, and Point Reyes Checkerbloom. We may also see Yellow-Eyed Grass, Tinker's Penny, White-Flowered Bog Orchid, and Hooker’s Evening Primrose. Some off-trail walking but little elevation gain." (Click here for the recap of our Bull Point hike on July 7, 2009.).

Directions to the trailhead: Take Sir Francis Drake Boulevard west to Olema. Turn right on Highway 1, then make an immediate left onto Bear Valley Road. Continue past the road to Park Headquarters (stop here for a restroom break; there are no porta-potties at the trailhead) and go left when you hit Sir Francis Drake again.

Go through Inverness. Go left at the "Y" (right takes you out to Pierce Point) and pass MCI and RCA stations on your right. The Bull Point parking lot will be on your left.  Carpool leaves St. Rita at 8:50 a.m.

Weather forecast: As of Saturday, June 30, the National Weather Service forecast for the hike was  patchy fog before 11am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 58. (Click here for an updated forecast).

More on this hike: Hike "H11 Bull Point and South Beach Trails" in the Martins' book, Hiking Marin, shows this as 4.0 mile out and back hike. Tracy Salcedo-Chourre's book, Exploring Point Reyes National Seashore and Golden Gate National Recreation Area, pegs it at 3.6 miles as does the park's North District Hiking Map. The Google Earth image below shows the area where we'll be hiking. (Click on the image to open a larger version in your Web browser).

Bear Valley to Five Brooks Hike (6/26) Preview

We continue our "Summer at the Seashore" series of hikes this week by starting at the Bear Valley Visitor Center in Point Reyes National Seashore and hiking south to Five Brooks. (Here's the recap from the June, 2009 trek.)

Here's Wendy's description of the outing: "We’ll start by checking out dragonflies and birds on the pond at Five Brooks, then carpool to Bear Valley. In past years we've seen Satyr Commas, Acmon Blues, Field Crescents, California Tortoise Shells, Pale Swallowtails, Western Tiger Swallowtails, and dragonflies including Cardinal Meadowhawks, Western Pondhawks, and Eight Spotted Skimmers. This level hike takes us through Vedanta Retreat and Stewart Ranch back to Five Brooks."  

 

THIS IS A SHUTTLE HIKE (CALL OR E-MAIL WENDY IF YOU'RE COMING: Home: 415 457-3949 E-mail: bdreskin@comcast.net).

Directions to trailhead:  We'll meet at Five Brooks at 9:30 am. Take Sir Francis Drake to Olema, turn left onto Highway 1, and continue south until you see the right hand turn off the highway to Five Brooks. We'll leave some cars at Five Brooks, so we'll need some drivers not in a hurry to head home after the hike to drive those who left their cars at the trailhead back to Five Brooks.

Restrooms (porta-potties) at Five Brooks and (real-deal flush toilets) at Bear Valley. Carpool from St. Rita's at 8:55 am.

Weather forecast: As of Friday afternoon, June 22nd, the National Weather Service forecast for the hike was patchy fog before 11am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 64. (Click here for an updated forecast).

More on this hike: Hike "F8 Five Brooks Trailhead to Bear Valley" in the Martins' book, Hiking Marin, does this 4.4 mile hike in the reverse direction from our trek. Our route will roughly parallel the San Andreas Fault which splits the Olema Valley down its middle.

After about a mile and a half we'll begin to cross the 2,000 acre parcel owned by the Vedanta Society of Northern California. Later we'll skirt the the historic Stewart Ranch. This trail is popular with equestrians, and we're likely to encounter horses and cattle along the way.

The elevation change is only 350' over the length of the trail, and many sections are quite flat or downhill. (Click here to view the Rift Zone Trail on the park's South District Hiking Map).

The Google Earth image below gives you a bird's eye view of the route will follow; the Bear Valley parking lot is at the far right, and "Mill Pond" at the far left is at Five Brooks. The yellow line marked "Shoreline Highway" is Highway 1. (Click on the image to enlarge it in your Web browser).

Tomales Bay SP Shell Beach Hike (6/19) Preview

Something old and something new!

We’ll hike from (but not meet at) the same parking lot on Pierce Point Road that’s just before the turn to Heart’s Desire.  Last year there were ripe huckleberries! Wetland plants like Marsh Rosemary, Ledum and Jaumea should be in bloom.

THIS IS A SHUTTLE HIKE! CALL OR E-MAIL WENDY IF YOU'RE COMING!
Home: (415) 457-3949, E-mail: bdreskin@comcast.net.
 
Directions to the trailhead: Meet at the Shell Beach parking lot, not at the trailhead (we’ll carpool to it from the Shell Beach lot). After you pass Inverness, take a right on Camino del Mar (there’s an inn on your left; it’s just where the road starts going uphill.) Follow it to the parking lot. (Click here for a Google Map that shows this area; you may have to zoom in and re-center the map to see Camino del Mar).

No restrooms at trailhead; stop at the Bear Valley Visitors Center on the way if you need to powder your nose. Meet at 9:00 am to carpool from St. Rita.

Weather forecast: As of Sunday, June 17, the National Weather Service forecast was mostly sunny, with a high near 65. Calm wind becoming west between 5 and 8 mph. Click here for an updated forecast..

More on this hike: "G15 Pierce Point Road to Shell Beach" in the Martins' book, Hiking Marin, shows the area in which we'll be hiking. The trails are also shown on page 4 of the Tomales Bay State Park brochure. The Google Earth image below shows Heart's Desire and Shell Beaches as seen from the east side of Tomales Bay. (Click on the image to open a larger version in your Web browser).

TUESDAY, JUNE 12 - NO HIKE!

There will be no hike on Tuesday, June 12th.

Our next hike will be Tuesday, June 19 - Shell Beach, Tomales Bay State Park Shuttle Hike.

Abbott's Lagoon Hike (6/5) Preview

This week we continue our summer hiking strategy of staying near the coast with another trip to Point Reyes National Seashore. Here's Wendy's description for this outing: "On this lovely level walk we should see Yellow Sand Verbena, Dune Primrose, Giant Coastal Hedge Nettle, Point Reyes Checkerbloom and more! Some years we've seen endangered Snow Plovers, a Sora, and an Osprey carrying a fish! We also saw endangered Bumblebee Scarab Beetles, Tiger Beetles, and a Point Reyes Blue butterfly! Lunch on the beach.  Anyone insane enough to get up for the wonderful 2 foot minus tide who'd like to meet me at McClure's Beach at 5:45 a.m. for tidepooling give me a call at least a day ahead."  (Click here for a recap of the June 2009 hike).

Directions to the trailhead: Take Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. Turn right at Olema and make an immediate left onto Bear Valley Road. (Stop at the park visitor center at Bear Valley to use the restrooms if you don't want to wait to use the pit toilet at the trailhead).

Continue until you pick up Sir Francis Drake again. Go through Inverness. After you top Inverness Ridge and head down the other side, the road splits: Going left takes you the wrong way and you'll head out to Drake's Beach and the lighthouse. You want to bear to the right (Wendy says "Go straight") onto Pierce Point Road. Pass Tomales Bay State Park. The parking area for Abbott's Lagoon will be on your left.

Carpool from St. Rita at 8:50 am. Restrooms at trailhead.

Weather forecast: As of Sunday afternoon, June 3rd, the National Weather Service forecast was mostly sunny, with a high near 54. Northwest wind between 13 and 17 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. (Click here for an updated NWS forecast. For real time weather conditions, updated every 10 minutes, at the RCA field just south of Abbott's Lagoon, click here).

More on this hike: "G16 -Beach and Lagoon Trails" from the Martin's book, Hiking Marin, shows the trails in this part of the seashore, as does Tracy Salcedo-Chourre's Exploring Point Reyes National Seashore and Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Both books have a 3.0 mile hike at Abbott's Lagoon, although our route could be different since you can roam off-trail rather far and wide, up and down the beach, and around the upland areas. (Click here to view and print the seashore's North District Hiking Map which shows the location of the roads, trailhead, and trails).

The following Google Earth image shows the area where we'll be hiking. (Click on the image to open a larger version in your Web browser).